A Gift from God

Hello my friends! I hope you all have recovered well from the hustle and bustle of the Holiday season, and that you have many wonderful memories to treasure.

One thing I treasure, and I'm sure many of you do too, is a special friend. And this sentiment from the JustRite set Simple Blessings, is perfect to honor that friend. It says "A friend like you is a gift from God". So true! And this set is even on sale. It has a gorgeous stained glass window, and a beautiful Church scene, along with more sentiments.

I stamped the sentiment with Onyx Black Versafine onto ivory cardstock and diecut it with one of JustRite's new Nested Frame Custom dies. I then added a Julia Tuscanny Butterfly by Prima. These guys look even more gorgeous irl!! Seriously. As if I didn't already have enough sparkle with the butterfly, I just had to add some gorgeous Magnificent Crystal Champagne and Chocolate Rhinestones (Zva Creative) behind him.



For the bow, I used my Bow-Easy and some Organza Ribbon, along with some Chocolate Embroidery Thread. I heated the Organza with my heat tool, just a bit to give it that crinkly look. For the Center I added a Webster's Pages Sparkler.

Lastly, I added some borders with an EK Success Punch, and a Martha Stewart punch, along with a sweet little pom-pom ribbon border, and all the edges were ink distressed with Black Soot Ranger Distress Ink.

Be sure to check out the Sales and Specials over at Stamper's Dream!! Michelle has quite a variety of supplies discounted!!

That's about it for today ya'll!!
Happy Stamping my friends!
Tosh

Merry Christmas!

I received this Penny Black image, Sending Love, from Stamper's Dream, and thought, although it's not a Christmas one, it's fitting for this week. I want to thank all of you for your continued support and encouragement this year, and wish you the Merriest of Christmases as we celebrate Jesus' birth.

I stamped this globe with Tuxedo Black (Memento), and colored it with Copics. I added some Frosted Lace and Cotton Candy Stickles inside the globe to emulate snow. The dp is Fancy Pants, and I added some Tinsel Trim by Webster's Pages over the lace.

Lastly, I used a Fiskars punch for the border, and did a bit of sewing along the edges.

That's it for today my friends. Have a very Merry Christmas!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Mojo Birthday Wishes

I tell ya, I'm so in love with Verve!! The images can stand by themselves, can be used as background, and are super fun to combine with creative decorative papers. I also love sketch challenges, especially when I want a card to come together quickly. I combined this weeks Mojo Monday sketch 170, with a sentiment and paper pieced bird from Verve's Wordy Bird set, along with dp from MME's Fine and Dandy True Blue paper pad. Of course, a card of mine isn't complete without some Spellbinders' dies, so I used the Mega Oval and Mega Scalloped Oval with Labels 14 as it's base. The sun was made with Circle and Inverted Circle Nestabilities dies. Lastly I added some lace, sewing, some Zva Creative Rhinestones, and a Martha Stewart border punch. Oh, and all the edges were ink distressed with Bundled Sage Ranger Distress Ink.

Are you ready for Christmas? I can't wait!! We're counting down the days!!
Happy Stamping my friends!
Tosh

Stamps: Wordy Birds (Verve)
Paper: White (PTI), Birchtone Dark (Prism), Fine and Dandy True Blue (MME)
Ink: Onxy Black (Versafine), Bundled Sage (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 14, Mega Oval and Scalloped Oval, Circle, Inverted Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Rhinestones (Zva Creative), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Sewing Machine, Lace

A Dragon Birthday

Hello stampers!! It's a wonderful new week filled with Holiday preparations, parties, and family gatherings! All in celebration of the birth of our King!! How awesome is that!!

Well, some people are blessed to be born during this time, and that means doing our best to make the birthday special apart from celebrating our Lord's birth. One of those special people happens to be my nephew. I think this JustRite Dragon from the Adorable Dragon set is just darling! I love his heart shaped tail, and his expression seems to say "I have a secret".

Well, I stamped him with Versamark onto watercolor paper, embossed him with Detail Black ep, and colored him with my Tombows.

I decided he needed a castle in the background, so I embossed the panels with a textured Cuttlebug folder, and punched the top with EK Successes Binding Edge Edger Punch. I then diecut the window with Spellbinders' Long Rectangle die and stamped the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the Adorable Dragon set inside. I wish now that I would've cut out some vertical windows in the base of the turret, but, alas, the card is now in the hands of my nephew.

The kraft bg was also embossed with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.

If you like any of the products used, click on the highlighted words. They'll take you directly to the "One Stop Shopping" online store Stamper's Dream!!

That's it ya'll. I hope you are all have a blessed week with family and/or friends!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Viva la Verve Week #3

As parents, have you ever used the phrase "Do as I say, not as I do"? Well I have to use that phrase for this card. *grin* I wanted to participate in this week's Viva la Verve challenge, and I believe I got the sketch down perfect. However, I forgot about the challenge part which is a theme: Ornaments & Winter Decor ...yeah...missed that part. (hanging head in shame)...oh well...hopefully I get points for getting the sketch right.

For today's card, I used images from one of Verve's newest releases called Amazing Wishes. It has two sweet flowers and a charming tag, along with a wonderful variety of sentiments. I stamped the flower onto two different dp patterns, cut them out, and used a stylus on the back to give it a bit of depth. The leaves were punched with a Martha Stewart punch from dp also. All the dp is from Graphic 45's "Once Upon a Springtime Collection". I framed the sentiment with Spellbinders' Labels 1 die.

Lastly, I added some sweet little pearls under the sentiment and some fun stitching. That about sums it up.

Please check out the Viva la Verve challenge HERE. And remember to include the theme Ornaments & Winter Decor. Just a little heads up. :)

Stamps: Amazing Wishes (Verve)
Paper: Ivory (PTI), Suede Brown Medium (Prism), Once Upon a Springtime Collection (Graphic 45)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine), Antique Linen (Ranger Distress Ink)
Accessories: Labels 1 Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Pearls (Kaisercraft), Sewing machine

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

It's all about mittens at CCEE

It's Thursday! And that means it's time for another CCEE Stamper's Challenge. Charlene challenged us to use mittens on our card. Now, I haven't had a use for mittens in years. *sniff* How I miss building forts for snowball fights, making the perfect snowman, and just plain enjoying the stillness in the morning after an evening snowfall. Okay....enough reminiscing...onto my card.

I used Spellbinders' mitten die and embossed it with the Houndstooth Cuttlebug folder while still in the die. I then ink distressed it with Pumice Stone Ranger Distress Ink. I made a sentiment tag to put into the mitten with a sentiment from the JustRite set Christmas Nested Frames. The inside sentiment is also from that set and both were framed using the new Nested Sentiment Custom dies. The sentiments and dies can be found at Stamper's Dream. Be sure to check out the Sales and Specials section too.

I also added a Martha Stewart punched snowflake with some Transparent Viva Decor gel and glitter to the center, along with a few buttons and Burlap Twine. The border punch was made with a Martha Stewart border punch.

That's it for today. Thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to check out the CCEE Stamper's blog to see what the other gals have done with mittens, and we'd love to have you join us.

Happy Stamping my friends!!
Tosh

A 4x4 Verve Trio

I have a sweet little trio of cards to share with you that I shared with the Verve Forum Release party awhile back, but haven't shown here on my blog yet. Julee recently released a set that has just totally taken my heart!! It's made up of 3 sweet images (two hearts and a little sailboat), and sentiments with matching text!! It's called Text Objects, and it is the most versatile. You could use these images for a Friend card, a Birthday card, a baby, a wedding, anniversary, etc. I stamped each image with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored them with copics. The rest is pretty self explanatory.

Here's each card individually.

Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you are enjoying this holiday season. I know I am treasuring it.

Happy stamping my friends!
Tosh

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Is it Thursday already? Yikes!! Sorry for the long absence. I've been busy with Christmas decorations, etc. Christmas will be upon us in no time!! What fun!!

Well, being that it's Thursday, I have a CCEE Stamper's card to share with you. Charlene has challenged us to make a card inspired by the song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Of course I thought of a lamb, music, star and manger scene. Well, I don't have a lamb image, so it's just the manger scene for me. I thought about adding some music too, but in the end, I just stuck with Manger Peace by Stampendous. I think this scene is just precious. I stamped it with Tuxedo Black (Memento), and colored it with Copics. I added some sparkle to the wings also with my trusty Quickie Glue Pen and some Glitter.

I did use a new toy on this card too!! Spellbinders has paired up with JustRite to make some diecut sets that go with their images!! Now that made my heart go pitter-patter I tell ya!! I framed my sentiment with the label frame from the Nested Frame set. The sentiment is from JustRite's Christmas Nested Frames and Occasions set.

The dp is all from BoBunny, and the punches are EK Success and Fiskars. I also added some Seam Binding Ribbon, a PTI button, some Burlap String, and a couple of Kaisercraft Pearls on the tag.

That's it everyone. Be sure to check out what inspired the rest of the gals over at the CCEE Stampers Blog.

I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas Season.
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Where there is Love...Verve Release

Verve just had another release yesterday, and you really should go check out the new sets found HERE. One of the charming sets Julee introduced is called Text Objects, which has wonderful sentiments along with the text version of those sentiments. I used one of the texts on this card along with the new Wildflower Plain Jane. Everything was stamped with Onyx Black (Versafine), and ink distressed with Pumice Stone (Ranger Distress Ink). The sentiment is framed with the Labels 17 Nestabilities die by Spellbinders, and I added some Black Twill ribbon and a button both by Papertrey. The bottom border was punched with a Martha Stewart Border Punch, and the two scored lines above were made with my trusty Scor-Pal. That's it...

Thanks for visiting. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend.
Happy Stamping my friends!
Tosh

Verve Sneak Peek Day Two ~ Text Objects

It's day two of the Verve Sneak Peeks, and that means I get to share a card I made with some of the text images from the Text Objects set. It's filled with Julee's typical fabulous sentiments, and they're written in text form also. I went crazy with this set. Lots more to share at the release party tonight, and on my blog tomorrow and next week. It's a wonderfully versatile set that also includes some stitched hearts and a sweet little boat. So it can be dressed up or made to be more whimsical. It's a must have set imho!!!

For the background, I took one of the scripted sentiments stamped it with Onyx Black Versafine, and alternated it with a stitched line stamped both ways. I then ink distressed the edges with Pumice Stone Ranger Distress Ink.

I also used the flower from the Amazing Wishes set. I just stamped both sizes with Tuxedo Black (Memento) ink onto red cardstock three times each, cut them out, spritzed them with water (gave them a pretty good soaking), scrunched them up into a ball. I then gently unfolded them, dried them with my heat tool, and glued all the pieces together. Of course it needed some sparkle, so I added some Cinnamon Stickles to the petals, and Frosted Lace stickles to the leaves that I cut with a Sizzix die cut.

For the inside, I included the beautifully fonted sentiment that matches the script, along with some scallops that I made with an MFT die.

That's about it for my card today. Wanna see what the rest of the divas have for inspiration? Check it out!!

Julee
Laurie
Susan
Tosh <~~~ you are here! :o)
Jen D.
Charmaine
Jen T.
Shannan
Lynda
Michelle
Amy
Teresa
Jackie
Sankari
Mercy

December Verve Sneak Peek ~ Wordy Birds

I'm so excited. Verve is having another release tomorrow, and the images are just the sweetest ever!! And again, the variety is amazing!! I'm peeking the Wordy Birds set today. It comes with two different sized birds along with 5 beautifully fonted sentiments.

I stamped the bird twice with Tuxedo Black Memento ink and colored him with copics. I cut out the wing of the second image, and glued it to the first image to give it a bit of depth. I mounted him on a flourish branch (Sizzix) that is covered with some Inkssentials Opaque White dots. The base is a rhinestone covered lace doily die (MFT), that I got from my dear friend Frances for my birthday. And the dp is from My Mind's Eye Fine and Dandy True Blue 6x6 Paper Pad.

That about sums up my card for today. Be sure to see what the other divas are sharing today. You won't be disappointed. These girls have some serious skills!!

Julee
Mercy
Sankari
Jackie
Teresa
Amy
Michelle
Lynda
Shannan
Charmaine
Jen D.
Tosh <~~~ you are here :)
Susan
Laurie

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

A Jolly Christmas

We're halfway through the week, and it's the first day of December. How is everyone coming along with their Christmas shopping? How about Christmas cards? Well, I have a Jolly Christmas card to share with you today using one of the sentiments from the JustRite set called Whimsical Christmas. It includes 6 charming images with 6 different circular frames, making a huge variety of combo possibilities. You can find this set, along with a number of other JustRite sets at Stamper's Dream.

This card came together in very little time. I just stamped the sentiment with Onyx Black Versafine directly onto some Winter Time Echo Park dp, and cut it out with a Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilites Die by Spellbinders. I then added some Viva Decor Transparent Gel dots around the border along with a coating of blue glitter.



Lastly, I added some Seam Binding Ribbon, and an antique button by Tim Holtz. The punched border was made with an EK Success Punch. And the rhinestones in the corners are Kaisercraft.

That's it for today's project. Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a Vervaliscious sneak peek.
Happy Stamping my friends!!
Tosh

Verve Project Parade

It's the last day of November, and there's a parade going on over at the Verve Blog. If you haven't seen all the fabulous projects the divas have been sharing, boy have you been missing out. There are some pretty inspirational gift ideas. I'm hosting today's Triple Play project, so if you'd like to see a closer view, along with some other creative ideas, head on over to the Verve Blog right now. You also have an opportunity to win some Verve images. Now if that isn't tempting, I don't know what is!! :o)

Happy stamping my friends!!
Tosh

Tree of Lace

First of all, I want to wish all my American Friends a
Happy Thanksgiving.

I have a short post for you today. My son is home from college for a couple of days, and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. I know, I know, I could have post dated this card, but I was so busy with preparations, I never got around to it. So about this card.

Since it's Thursday, I made this card for our CCEE Stamper's Challenge. Cindy has challenged us to use lace. Can you find the lace on this card? *grin* I used a variety of laces on this cardstock based tree, and I couldn't tell ya where each is from. I also added some Frosted LACE (hee-hee) stickles to give it a bit of sparkle.

The sentiment is from the Verve set Holiday Phrases, and the dp is from Fancy Pants' Tradition line. I also added a MS border punch, a PTI button, some Green Burlap string, and some sewing.

That's it ya'll. Be sure to stop by the CCEE Stamper's Blog to see what the other girls have created this week. We'd also love to have you join our challenge.

Have a super weekend. Hope you get a chance to get creative!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

JustRite Christmas Tags

I love my Nestabilities Dies!! Spellbinders such a wonderful variety of shapes, so I thought it would be fun to make some tags with them. I made three tags using a combination of the JustRite sets From Our House, and Hearts Come Home. You can find these sets, and many more wonderful Holiday images at Stamper's Dream. I used Labels 9, Labels 13, and 14 Nestabilites Dies, as well as the Classic Squares, and Petite Ovals. The dp is all from Pink Paislee's Father Christmas Line, the Rhinestones are all from Kaisercraft. And all the edges are ink distressed with Vintage Photo Ranger Distress Ink. I also added some Buttons, lace, and some Satin Ribbon to finish off the tags.

For this first tag, I used Labels 9.

I used Labels 14 for this Tag.

Labels 13 was used for this tag.

Stamps: From Our House, Hearts Come Home
Paper: Ivory, Spring Willow (Prism), Father Christmas (Pink Paislee)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Labels 9, 13, 14, Classic Squares, and Petite Ovals Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Copics, Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Ribbon and Buttons (PTI), Lace, dimensional tape

That's it folks. Stop by tomorrow for a CCEE challenge.
Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you're having a super week!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Fall has arrived!!

Can it be Thursday already? Wow!! As usual, time is flying by. Especially since Fall is sneaking in. It figures, my favorite season will have come and gone before I can get enough of the beautiful leaf colors and cool, crisp air. But, I'm going to soak it in as long as I can. Therefore, I made a Fall card for today using the JustRite Fall sets A Day in the Country, and Hangin' Around. Cindy is in charge of the CCEE Challenges over at the CCEE Stamper's Blog this month, and she's challenged us to include buttons. No problem. I LOVE buttons!! I added a couple of leaves behind mind too.

I don't normally do the inside of the card, mainly because it takes me forever to create the outside, and by the time I'm finished, I'm too lazy to do the inside. This time, though, I just had to add the sentiment from the Hangin' Around set because it's perfect!!
That's it for today folks. Thanks so much for stopping by. You can find the links (colored names) to the products I used listed below. Now head on over to the CCEE Stamper's Blog to see all the buttons the other gals have added to their cards.

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Hangin' Around, A Day in the Country
Paper: Curio (Basicgrey), Ivory and Brown (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento), Antique Linen and Vintage Photo (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Copics, Hanging Sign (Tim Holtz), Petite Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Button, Embroidery Thread, Scor-Buddy, Sewing Machine, Corner Tag Punch (SU!)

JustRite 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hop 11

Welcome to the 11th week of JustRite Stampers’ Wednesday feature, 12 Weeks of Christmas Blog Hops! Every Wednesday up until Thanksgiving some of your favorite designers will be joining some of the JustRite design team for a series of Christmas blog hops, showcasing JustRite’s entire Christmas Collection of stamps! Don’t forget that JustRite has some Christmas stamps in their newly released CLING line of stamp sets, too -- you can find them HERE. This week, we, the Stampers Dream Design Team, are joining the JustRite design team along with a few other special guests!

For the month of November, some designers will be sharing holiday gift ideas using JustRite stamps, so be watching for those, too, during the November’s hops! And in celebration of JustRite’s Christmas Blog Hops, you can take 25% off All JustRite Original Christmas Stamps now through November 29!!

Okay, now for the project I made for today's hop.

I made a Christmas card with a snowflake image from the set Sparky and Friends. I loved the elegance of the flakes and decided to use them in an Ink Resist pattern. I started off by stamping the snowflakes with Champagne Encore Versamark. By using a colored pigmented ink, I could see where I was stamping the image. The white embossing powder covered the metallic easily. I then took a sponge dauber, and gradually added Tumbled Glass (Ranger Distress Ink), starting at the edges and working my way in to give the center a bit of a glow. When I got the color I wanted, I took a paper towel and ran it over the embossed snowflakes, and woila!! Finished. I then added some Viva Decor Transparent Gel to the snowflake centers with some Ultrafine Transparent Glitter.

The snowflake is covered with Mica Flakes and a Rhinestone by Melissa Frances.

I also added white Satin Ribbon (PTI), a button I got while in Missoula, Montana, some Silver Metallic String, and the "Joyeux Noel" sentiment, stamped with Smokey Gray Versafine, from the Sparky the Snowman JustRite set.

The back panel was scored with my Scor-Pal, with the edges being punched with the SU! Corner Tag Punch, and the bottom border was made with a Martha Stewart Border Punch. I also framed the snowflake circle with Spellbinders' Lacey Circle Die.

That's it for my project today. Be sure to check out what the rest of the gals have made to share with you today. I've included the Blog Hop list below. Have fun. I hope you're inspired!!

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

JustRite Inspiration Blog
Beate Johns
Debbie Olson
Michelle Rodgers
Sankari Wegmen
Tosha Leyendekker ~~~You're here :)
Kazan Clark
Lori Craig
Amy Sheffer
Stephanie Kraft
Denise Marzec
Michelle Kovack
Carolyn King
Barb Schram
Jenn Balcer
Cindy Lawrence
Angela Barkhouse
Christina Fischer
Heidi Blakenship
Mariana Grigsby
Terre Fry
Teresa Kline

One layer with Silver Berries

I just love the berry branches from the Verve set Merry Wishes!! And I thought they would be beautiful in silver. Unfortunately, trying to show you the silver shine, along with the embossing was quite the challenge. I took some close ups to better show the detail. But first, let me explain the card. It's one layer, with the Bottom being made with a Martha Stewart Border Punch. Above that, I scored two horizontal lines, and then added the Silver embossed berries. Then two more scored horizontal lines, followed by a panel of scored vertical lines, and lastly one more horizontal scored line. I then added a satin ribbon with a Vintage Rhinestone button, and the silver embossed sentiment along the top with 3 rhinestones. That's it. The hardest part was photographing it. *grin*

Here's a close~up of the rhinestone bow with the vertical scored lines.

Here's a close~up of the sentiment with the vertical embossed lines and some of the berries.

That's it for today ya'll. Stop back tomorrow for JustRite blog hop. Fun stuff!!
Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Merry Wishes
Paper: White
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Silver Embossing Powder, Scor-Pal, Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Satin Ribbon (PTI), Vintage Rhinestone button (Bazzill), Rhinestones (i~Rock)

Veteran's Day and a Christmas Card

Before I get to my card, I want to give a shout out to all the Veterans who have sacrificed so much so we can feel safe!! Thank you to you, and all your families from the bottom of my heart!!

Okay, now for the card I have to share with you today. Do you ever make a card, photograph it, edit it, upload it, and finally realize you made a mistake? Nope, me either. *grin* NOT!! Well, looking at this card now, I'm releasing a huge sigh of regret. I meant to have the lighter panel on the left instead of the right in order to have more contrast between the sentiment tag, and the buttons. But alas, the card is up, and I'd have to start from scratch. So NOT going to happen. LOL Anyway, I really loved this week's Mojo Monday Sketch #164. And I knew the papers I wanted to use right off. Not to mention how perfect Verve's new Vintage Oval Frame and Die would be in the sketch!! So I set to work stamping the Oval die with Onyx Black Versafine, and then stamping the sentiment from the set Merry Wishes inside it. And how perfect to add on the little tab "from all of us". Sweet!!

Well, since it's Thursday, that means there's a CCEE challenge to incorporate too. Our challenge this week, provided by the sweet Cindy Haffner, was to have a store bought flower on your card or project. Easy for me, since I have a HUGE (seriously...it's almost a sin) stash of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts. Head on over to the CCEE Stamper's blog to see how the rest of the gals incorporated flowers into their projects. We'd love to have you join our challenge too!! :o)

Lastly, I added some ribbon, buttons, a Jillibean Soup Sugar Pick, and some sewing to finish off the card.

And I want to take a moment to thank all those who offered sweet wishes concerning my camera fiasco!!! The surgery went well, and he's made a complete recovery. Thanks to the ever capable camera repair man, the glass shards were removed, as well as the UV filter with no damage. He even made me feel better when he showed me his "damaged filter stash". So, I'm not the only one!! LOL And oh, Danielle, you made me feel so much better with your story. Although, I'm so sorry for all your camera losses.

I tell ya, the stamping world is filled with warm and wonderful souls, and I'm so grateful to be a part of that incredible group!! Thanks guys!!

Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Stamps: Vintage Oval Frame, Merry Wishes
Paper: Oasis (SEI), Spring Willow Medium (Prism), White and Ivory (PTI)
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine
Accessories: Vintage Oval Frame Die (Verve), Copics, Buttons (PTI), Ribbon (SU!), Flower (Wild Orchid Crafts), Sugar Pick (Jillibean Soup), Rhinestones (Kaisercraft), Border Punch (Martha Stewart), Twine (May Arts)

A Day in the Country

I'm just heartsick. In all the years I've worked with my Canon, I've never, ever dropped it. Until now. I had it sitting on my desk, picked it up to go to my photo tent, and the strap hooked on one of the drawer handles. I didn't have a tight enough grip. *sigh* It shattered the UV protection filter as well as denting it, so I can't get it off to see if the lens is okay. It's too late to head to the camera shop, so I have to be patient (so not a strong suit of mine), and go tomorrow instead to see what the extent of damage is.

So, this photo was taken with my little Nikon point and shoot. At least you can see the charming barn scene. I so fell in love with this scene when I first saw it. It's from the JustRite set A Day in the Country that I got from Stamper's Dream. I've always loved old red barns, and have even photographed a few in the midwest. You just don't see many of them in the west.

My son is away at college, and is anxiously awaiting Thanksgiving break to come home for a spell. So I thought I'd send him a card for a bit of encouragement. He misses the farm, and this sentiment is spot on. "A day in the country soothes the soul". Okay, living around thousands of cows can clear the sinuses at times, but there's nothing like being out on the farm.

I colored the image with Copics, and added some sewing, buttons, twine, and a border punch. The side panel was made with the Octagon Nestabilties die by Spellbinders. The dp is Fancy Pants, and the netting is May Arts Ribbon. All the edges were heavily ink distressed with Walnut Stain (Ranger Distress) too.

That about sums it all up!
Thanks for dropping by. Hope you're having a good week.
Happy stamping my friends!!
Tosh

The True Gift of Christmas

It's a new week!! And I'm excited to share this card with you today. I LOVE this cross image from Verve's new set Richly Blessed! It reminds me of the fun puffy heart stickers you used to see...well, back in the day. *grin* I thought it would be fun to make it kinda puffy too, so I stamped the cross with Sea Breeze VersaMagic onto Ivory cs, and then coated it with Viva Decor Transparent Gel. While the gel was still wet, I sprinkled some Cool Highlight Glitter Ritz glitter over it, and woila...you get a sparkly, puffy cross that I think is just charming. Oh, I forgot...I stamped the cross, then the new Sweet Scallop Tag in Vintage Sepia Versafine, and then cut it out with the oh, so FABULOUS new Sweet Scallop Die that Julee has come out with. I so "heart" this die. It's just super charming!! THEN I added the Gel and glitter. Why, do you ask, is that so important? Well, because first, I decorated the cross experimenting with the gel, framed it, let it dry, then ran it through my cuttlebug with the new Sweet Scallop die. DUH!! The cuttlebug smooshed my puffy cross!! *sniff* I had to start over. (Nothing new here though...I'm constantly starting over....LOL)

Here's a close up of the sparkly cross:

Lastly, I embellished a bit with, Chocolate Gross Grain Ribbon, a Sparkler (Webster's Pages), some Rhinestones (i-Rock), Border Punches (EK Success), Scoring (Scor-Buddy), and my sewing machine. The dp is Sam (Dream Street Papers)

That's it for today.
Have a super week, and Happy Stamping!!
Tosh

Naughty or Nice?

Click on the photo for a closer look.

Since it's Thursday, it's time for another CCEE Challenge. And this month's challenges are brought to you by our sweet Cindy Haffner!! Her first challenge this month is to make a Winter Themed card.

So, have you been naughty or nice this year? Hmmmm? Well, just pull a tag out of the mitten to see what Santa is thinking. If you pull out a "Naughty" tag, don't fret. There's still time to be good. If you pull out a "Nice" tag, good for you!! You're on the right track. (My husband and daughter both pulled out "Naughty". Shame, shame!! They have some work to do before Christmas. *grin*)

To make this interactive card, I paper pieced JustRite's mitten image (from the set Sparky the Snowman) that works with the Spellbinders Mittens die. How fun is that? I then took JR's Curlz Font and spelled out the phrase "Naughty or Nice", stamped it along the bottom, and made individual tags with the Tag Trio by Spellbinders. The sketch design is Jen's SFYTT from last Saturday.

I also added a sparkly snowflake (MS), a button, and a punched border with a touch of bling.

We'd love to have you join our CCEE Challenge this week. Just make a Winter themed card, and use Mr. Linky on the CCEE Stamper's blog so we can see where your creativity is taking you this week.

That's it from me today. Hope all is well in your stamp studio!!
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Stamps: Sparky the Snowman, Curlz Font
Paper: White, Black (PTI), Winter Time (Echo Park)
Ink: Onyx Black Versafine, Aged Mahogany (Ranger Distress)
Accessories: Mitten and Ribbon Tag Trio (Spellbinders), Snowflake (Martha Stewart), Baker's Twine (Jillibean Soup), Button (PTI), Quickie Glue Pen, Glitter, Border Punch (EK Success), Rhinestones (Zva Creative)

Joy to the World

Hello stamping friends!! How's your week going? Have you started your Christmas cards yet? Well, I have another one to share with you today. The sentiment is from one of Verve's newest Plain Janes called Joy, and is colored with copics. It's one of my favorites because of its clean lines and simplicity. And don't you just love that sweet little wreath for the "O"? I decided to keep my card pretty clean too. Just some scored lines on the white cs that I made with my Scor-Buddy, (If you click on the image, it's a bit easier to see.) and a sweet little border with a Martha Stewart border punch. Then of course, there's the dramatic Silk ribbon that I got from the Stamp Simply Ribbon Store.

That's pretty much it for today's card. Did you get to see Verve's latest Winter release or the Verve sneak peeks last week? If not, don't you worry. Click HERE to see all the newest sets, and HERE for some inspiration from the divas. These are must haves I tell ya!! Talk about Fantastic sets!!

That's it for today ya'll. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Happy Stamping!
Tosh

Apple Mini Cards

Woo-Hoo!! Fall is on it's way. We've had a bit of rain, and some cooler temperatures. I'm starting to get a tad excited now.

Let me tell ya about these two cards. My daughter is a teacher's assistant to two of the sweetest third grade teachers who are very kind and encouraging to her. (Especially since she plans on majoring in Elementary education in college) Well, in our house, we burn candles almost every day, no matter the season. Not everyone appreciates candles in the summer though. But since the weather is changing, she wanted to show some appreciation by giving them each a jar candle. Of course, being a daughter of mine, you can't give a gift without a handmade card. So, I set to work to make two mini-cards. I love making these. They're 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" with the sweetest little envelopes. I colored three of the smaller images, from the Flourishes Clear Stamp set called Apple of my Eye, with Copics . Aren't these images adorable? The apple on the envelope was colored, cut out, and adhered to the envelope. Otherwise the Copics would bleed through it. They were each diecut with Nestabilities and popped up with some dimensional tape. Lastely, I punched a border along the bottom with a Martha Stewart punch, Scored a couple of lines, and added some Baker's Twine and a button. It hardly took any time at all.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope your week is off to a super start!!
Happy Stamping my friends!
Tosh

Stamps: Apple of my Eye (Flourishes)
Paper: White and Kraft (PTI)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Accessories: Copics, Labels 12 and Curved Rectangle Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Backer's Twine, Button, Border Punch (MS), Scor-Pal

Verve Sneak Peek 2 ~ Final Day ~ Sweet Scallop Tag Box

Scroll down to see Verve Sneak Peek #1 for today.

Hey all you Verve fans!! I have a second project to share with you today. This one uses the GORGEOUS Sweet Scallop Tag Die and the Tag Die image from the Glad Tidings set. I inked the snowflake and border with two different Versamagic inks. Using the Dew Drops makes it easy. I then covered the flake with some glitter and added the "Just For You" sentiment. Finally, I attached it to a box that I decorated with Jack n'Jill Prima Marketing paper and a Martha Stewart border punch. I also added some Seam Binding Ribbon and a fabric covered brad by g.c.d. Studios.

Don't you just love that tag? I adore the charming shape and will get tons of use out of it I'm sure. Now, scroll down to my earlier post for today to check out what the other girls have done. Or, click HERE.

Verve Release ~ Final Day

Woo~Hoo!! Verve's release day has finally arrived!! Be sure to join us at the Release Party tonight, 9:00 pm Eastern time. Click HERE for all the details. The sneak peeks for today are "anything goes". Which means the divas will be peeking from the Winter, and the Fall release. I chose to use a release from the Winter that I hadn't gotten a chance to use yet. It's called Richly Blessed and was peeked by the divas on Tuesday. I just stamped this beautiful sentiment with Onyx Black Versafine directly onto the dp. The rest is pretty self explanatory.

Don't forget to leave comments on all the divas' blogs for a chance to win the set peeked. You have until 7:00 pm Eastern time tonight.

Now, check out what the rest of the divas are showing to enable you today. *grin*

Laurie
Charmaine
Lynda
Mercy
Amy
Shannan
Michelle
Jackie
Teresa
Sankari
Tosh <~~~~ you are here :o)
Jen T.
Amber
Jen D.
Andrea - guest designer
Julee